Raptor Season is Here

Winter came early it seems and as expected here are the raptors.

I've been watching a Cooper's Hawk hit up our backyard for a meal a few times. I've not bothered with photos although I wish I did on Sunday. The Hawk was on top of our brush pile, seemingly jumping up and down on it. It knows the Sparrows are hiding within. It then hopped over to the nearby bird bath, stood on that, and assessed the situation. I then watched it hop to the ground and pace back and forth in front of the brush pile. Along came a Squirrel who was rather aggressive to the Hawk's presence. The Cooper's flared out his feathers, spread his wings and jumped at the Squirrel. This sent the Squirrel running away. Now it was back to work for the Hawk. I watched him pace the front of the pile again. Then he went around the side, squeezing in between the pile and the raspberry bush. I lost sight of him for a minute or so. Then he walked out with a House Sparrow in his mouth. How clever!

This is not the first time I have seen a Cooper's Hawk on top of the brush pile. I do wonder if it is the same bird?

Cooper's Hawk from a couple weeks ago who I watched land on the brush pile.

The pile has been weighed down by the recent wet snow and probably because of this Hawk's actions too. I may add some branches to the pile soon.

I was comfortable sitting at the window with my coffee in hand and the cats with me.

I felt little desire to go outside and try to get a photograph. I also did not want to bother the bird while he was hunting.

A Sharp-shinned Hawk has since made an appearance with quick attacks but I've not seen if they've been successful.

If you didn't catch my last blog, I shared a tale within about one of the Red-tailed Hawks coming in.

I went out yesterday and enjoyed a couple Owl sightings.

First up was a Long-eared Owl. This is my 3rd of this species this Autumn season.

Then a short bit later, I was fortunate to see a Northern Saw-whet Owl.

Just over a week ago I had a similar encounter at another park, finding both these species of Owl in close proximity of each other.

Long-eared Owl.

Peek-a-boo with a Saw-whet.

Last night on my way home from work, I spotted a large dark bird atop a lamp post. It's one of the places I look for Snowy Owls at this time of year. No Snowy Owl but a Great Horned Owl. Last winter I saw a Great Horned Owl atop this same lamp post one night. I wonder if it is the same Owl? No camera with me, so I just kept driving along with my jaw hanging down just a tad. I'm used to spotting Snowys at night but haven't gotten used to the Great Horned sightings which have been few and far between.

The Great Horned Owl from last winter.

To finish this off, one of our locals has returned for another season. A nearby resident to us is this Eastern Screech Owl.

Here I thought I was done with the blog, publishing it even, when I look out the back window and see some movement just over the fence in next door's backyard. I can see it is a Hawk and it has something. I go out the front door, sneak up the side of the house and watch from our yard, looking over the fence. It's a (THE?) Cooper's Hawk with a small bird. Nice he's got his breakfast but my curiosity is killing me on what he happened to catch. Well, part of me really wants to know while another part doesn't because we do have some special backyard birds. I finally see it is a male House Sparrow.

Indeed raptor season is here!

Long Faces

It's been quite a season for me and spotting Long-ears. I've seen more individual Long-ears than Snowys! I never thought that possible with the Snowy irruptions the last few winters.

For me, the Long-eared Owl is a real treat to see because they are very difficult to spot. They hide themselves well within conifers and it's like a treasure hunt to find them.

I chanced upon this guy a few weeks back. He did not exactly pick the best hiding spot, roosting right along a foot path. I did not see him until we were more than a little too close for comfort. Shocked the heck out of both myself and the bird. I slowly backed up and was able to get a shot before he gave me the ol' "I'm outta here!" I hate it when I unintentionally flush them. They are the most skittish species of Owl I have ever seen. If I knew he was here, I would not have stepped into his comfort zone, and would have re-routed myself.

Last week I chanced upon 2 birds in another park. The first one was brought to my attention by 3 Crows. They were just freaking on this poor Owl and eventually went at him, sending him flying to another spot, deep within a Pine tree. I only saw the Owl after the birds got physical and sent him flying over me. I watched the bird take shelter, the Crows still squawked away but did not pursue the bird any further.

Can you see the Owl? He's looking right at you.

In the same outing, a short bit later, I chanced upon this guy just dozing the morning away in full view off the path.

He was well aware of my presence but with our distance between us he seemed fine with things. I bet he was also well aware what was happening to his buddy due to those Crows. "Better him than me" he must have thought.

I never left the path to get any closer to the bird. Why did I need to? Who could ask for a better view than this? The first shot of him is no zoom, no cropping whereas the second is zoomed in and then cropped quite a bit.

If I don't see another Long-eared Owl the remainder of the season, I'm good with that.

The funny thing is this second encounter I am blogging about, I was out that morning and Long-ears were not on my mind at all. I had another bird of interest in mind, hoping to spot, which did not pan out for me. So seeing this was a pretty darn good consolation.

Another find.

Can you see the Owl? I think I may have shared this in another blog.

This one doesn't even look real to me, more like a painting.

It seems to be a good winter for these birds in our area. I really hope they all have a peaceful stay with us but I've already heard a number of horrific stories from reported spots. There's nothing wrong with people wanting to see these Owls but the welfare of the bird must always come first over any close view or photograph. Seriously! What are these people doing with their shots anyway?

Epic Is An Understatement

Hi everyone who steps into the world of Rob and the Animals!

I'm jumping right in on this blog... short version of what may or may not be a long story here is recently we were contacted by The Owl Foundation about the possibility of releasing a couple juvenile Great Horned Owls. One of which I had met back on March 1st when I brought him down there after a short stay at Toronto Wildlife Centre. Someone had found him on the ground far below his home some 60+ feet up a tree. Attempts were made to get him home safely, but that wasn't possible due to the height of the nest. So arrangements were made to get him down to The Owl Foundation and introduce him to "Big Red" who is an amazing foster mom Great Horned.

The baby

Big Red

As you can imagine, all went according to plan, from getting him down there, the introduction and some months of him being raised by Big Red, learning how to be an Owl, or better put to be an independent wild Owl. It still blows my mind that these permanent residents at The Owl Foundation, who all are still wild Owls now in captivity due to their injuries, are fostering Owls of the same species and giving them a second chance at a wild life of their own somewhere in the future. Note, residents at The Owl Foundation have very little human interaction. Most monitoring is done with cameras.

So to be in the first part of this bird's life, helping him get to the help he needed was an honour. Now to be a part of the next chapter, getting him back to the wild, well, "epic" is an understatement. I'm sure my statement there can be mirrored by his finder.

We had planned for sometime over the weekend of October 3 and 4th, weather pending. As of Friday the weather was looking decent. By Saturday morning we had another story which was cool, cloudy, damp and windy. Not ideal conditions for release, especially those winds. Angie had been in contact with the finder and we kept our hopes up the release was going to be sooner than later. All of us were quite anxious to be a part of this. The weekend passed without a release as the weather never improved.

Monday arrived and finally the weather turned for the better. It still wasn't quite what they had predicted 12 hours earlier but it wasn't nearly as windy or wet.

Thanks to my new temporary shift at work, I ended up having Monday off and was able to play a part in this as planned. It sucked that Angie couldn't do the drive with me down. I left early in the afternoon, tunes cranked and my mind was wandering with how this day was going to play out.

I was at TOF in record time. Stacy met me in front of the house with a volunteer and away we went. First off was to catch the 2 Owls for release. Stacy went to it in the large enclosure and sure made it look very easy. First up was the High Park "kid".

What a face!

She asked if I would like to help with the banding of the bird. I said "yes". Really I don't do a whole lot except hold the Owl while she does all the work. But what a thrill to hold such a bird! Obviously the Owl did not like us nor what we were doing to him. Thank goodness for gloves as he got my fingers in his talons more than a couple times. If you look at the above photo, you can see he is wrapped up in a blanket of sorts (more like a straight jacket) both for his protection and ours. Everything goes much smoother with a patient who co-operates or is unable to put up a fight. I was thrilled at this opportunity but also a little intimidated because these are powerful birds. I wasn't afraid of getting hurt but afraid of hurting him even as contained as he was. It was a very new experience to me. I kept thinking about the Screech Owl I helped back in the Spring, so much easier to work with even if his hatred to me matched this Great Horned.

No photos were taken of me with the Great Horned since Angie was not there and I forgot to ask someone to snap one. Ah well, the memory will be with me for a very long time.

After a weigh in, wing measurements, banding, etc. he was put in a carrier.

Next up was "Blondie". A feisty young female from the Vaughan area. This was one beautiful but nasty snarly bird chocked full of ferocity and attitude! She hissed and clicked at us, voicing her disapproval to everything. I opted out of helping with her because I knew the whole process would probably take much longer to do with me, and I feared one of us getting hurt due to my inexperience. I know well enough that no one at TOF would let that happen. But in my head, if I am not completely comfortable with it, best not do it. I got a taste of how it's done so I was happy.

You can see why she was nicknamed "Blondie". Look how light in color she is!

You can see she wasn't keen on us and all that was happening.

Just sit back and relax.

Look at those feet!

Weigh in time.

Some measurements being done.

I bet after this she never wants to see another human being again in her life.

After she was done, she too was loaded up in a carrier and soon after I was on my way back to Toronto.

I had been keeping in touch with Angie as well as Gray who is the finder of the High Park "kid". Basically keeping them up to date on where I was, time schedules and so on. Everything was going according to plan, well almost everything, except that Angie could not join us. Disappointing to Gray and I, but it is what it is, life gets in the way at times. Our good friends Jim and Lynda were meeting us at the release location and they too were disappointed with Angie missing this.

The four of us meet on time, I grabbed the carrier and we went for a walk. Dusk was approaching, the evening was mild and we found a spot which seemed suitable for the release, and it was quiet (meaning lack of people). I talk about how I am going to release the Owl from his carrier, something I had explained to me earlier at The Owl Foundation. The door to the carrier isn't exactly wide enough for the bird to come out of. I have to take the whole top of the carrier off, and while I do, I must ensure I am still holding the metal cage door as well otherwise it may fall back and hit the bird. It probably wouldn't harm the Owl but certainly would add a lot of stress.

Having set the carrier down, I am unlocking all the latches.

Now I am slowly lifting the top of the carrier off, ensuring I have a good hold on the door.

Carrier top and door are almost off, and everyone gasped at this moment, first sight of the Owl.

Nobody stood in front of the Owl. We corralled some 6 ft back from him and watched.

He sat and watched us too in between scoping the surroundings.

The Owl did not fly off immediately. He must have sat there for 10 minutes but it sure felt longer. The wait and wonder on when he was going to fly consumed us. We enjoyed seeing him at such a close range but the anticipation on when he would fly was overwhelming. And then, out of the blue, people started coming through the park area from all different directions... some with dogs, a few with off leash dogs! My main focus was on the bird and his well being. I commend my friends on taking care of the people and especially the off leash dogs. I really only remember Lynda at this moment, halting a guy with a rather large Rottweiller type dog not on leash who was watching us some 50 ft off. Lynda may be small but don't let that fool you, when it's something she's passionate about... look out! Thankfully we did not have to see her fiery side come out. Everyone who chanced upon us was great, co-operating, standing well back and watched or hustled along quickly. I was bewildered by those who hustled off. This was something most of us have never seen, nor would ever again (slim chance). Oh well.

Then, suddenly the Owl took flight. He flew across the stretch of field to the edge of the wood lot, gaining height, and finding a branch to sit on and take in his surroundings. His actions did not go unnoticed by other inhabitants of the forest, some 5 or 6 Blue Jays voiced their disapproval and even took a few swats at him.

The Owl stood his ground with the attacks and eventually the Blue Jays gave up and left.

Moments later the Owl left this branch and went deeper into the woods.

He landed in another tree deeper in.

I'm sure we all wished him the best of luck in his new life and we left the area, headed for our rides, said our "goodbyes" and away we went. Everyone headed home while I had "Blondie" still waiting for me in the truck. She hissed upon my entry into the GMC (the carriers are in the back of the SUV).

It was almost dark now, and I knew where I was going, so I wasted no time in getting there. I brought a flashlight with me just in case. What I wished I had with me upon getting to the next release site was bug repellent as the mosquitoes were brutal! Who would have thought on October 5th that those buggers would be an issue?

I grabbed the carrier as gently as I could, walking her to the release site like I was carrying a time bomb. Blondie still hissed and even thrashed about a few times within. As I worked to remove the lid of this carrier, she fought, pushing hard to open it. Smart bird! I barely had it off when she jumped out onto the ground, stretched her wings, turned to look at me for a split second and then took flight. She landed in a nearby tree for not much more than a couple minutes, surveying the area, and then took off again. It was like this bird knew exactly where she was going. Crazy!

Serious tweaking of the manual settings to capture this crap record shot of Blondie just before she took off into the darkness.

Wow! Epic! I will refrain from some blue collar terms I have playing in my head right now. LoL!

Here I am earlier in the adventure, this is my happy face. I'm told it can be seen in my eyes.

I am very thankful we have such wildlife places like Toronto Wildlife and The Owl Foundation. I can't imagine our area, heck even the province, without them. I'm sure thousands of animals are too in their own way. I am proud to volunteer with them where I can, no matter what it is I can do to help them, to help wildlife. I always tell people there are so many ways to help from donations of money to items they use regularly (check their wish lists) or sign on as a volunteer be it for driving, in house cleaning and care, fund raising and so on.

The glow from the Owl releases had me go to bed grinning, dreaming of Owls, and the next afternoon I went for a walk near our home in hopes of spotting one I see semi-regularly who I have named Grace. I hadn't seen her since September 16th. I found her on this afternoon just chilling out. I hope the two I released the night before are somewhere enjoying their wild and free lives high atop the trees.